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Hey there Happy Travelers! We have a guest post today for you that I'm really excited to share. This post is coming to you from April who is an online publisher for The Cabins at Grand Mountain in Branson, Missouri. She often writes about Midwest traveling, and log cabin experiences. I actually grew up only a few hours from Banson and remember it being a favorite destination for a lot of my friends' families. If you're thinking about making a trip to Branson, be sure to visit Branson Missouri Cabins for help planning an unforgettable family vacation. Now, let me turn it over to April! A Family Vacation in BransonSpending your family vacation in Branson is certainly time well spent. This small town is located at the heart of the Ozark Mountains in Missouri. Despite being a rather small town, it has blossomed into a major tourist attraction for families looking for wholesome and unforgettable vacation destinations. Even though most of the Midwestern destinations tend to focus solely on cowboy and country flavored activities, Branson is different. There is a great variety of small town and big city entertainment to delight a cross-section of travelers. Therefore, it is the best option for your family if you are longing for a getaway for the holidays. In the winter, Branson comes to life. A rather quaint and quiet part of Missouri for most part of the year, it transforms into a magical winter landscape for the holidays. And it is not just the natural landscape that transforms – all attractions join in with the Christmas spirit and adorn the theme parks, shows and other destinations to remind one of the holidays. Surely, seeing all these lights and hearing the festive music will stir the kid in everyone’s hearts. Caving at Talking Rocks Cavern If you’ve been to Branson before, chances are you’ve heard about this particular attraction. But if you aren’t drawn in by the idea of exploring a cave, wait until you see this during winter. You and your family can head underground and escape the cold winter. During your cave tour, you get to explore gemstone mining from below the ground so you get to experience it first-hand. There is also a rock shop at the Talking Rocks Cavern for those who like to bring home souvenirs. Along with the tour is an educational guide that will provide a glimpse into the geological history of the area within the Ozark Mountains. Who knew learning would be so fun? Silver Dollar City This is no doubt a family favorite – kids and adults alike are sure to have fun exploring the rides and attractions at Silver Dollar City! Quite possibly, this is the most popular tourist attraction in Branson. But for an unforgettable time, visit during the winter wherein the park literally transforms into a winter wonderland. It is also a good time to learn or sharpen up on your skating skills as an ice skating rink is open for the winter. If you’re an ice hockey fan, or someone in the family is, this is also a great time to catch a game of the Missouri State Bears! Acrobats of China This is an experience that your family will not forget for years to come. When in Branson for the winter holidays, don’t miss the New Shanghai Circus show. This is a popular show that features Chinese acrobats perform acrobatic tricks and death defying stunts! There are over 40 performers showcasing their impressive talents during the show that includes contortionists, people walking on a trapeze or aerial ballets. This is no doubt a show suited for people of all ages! When traveling to Branson with your family, expect no less than a Midwestern extravaganza. There is so much to see and do around this famed Midwest town! Hopefully, these ideas will help your family plan an unforgettable vacation. Thanks April! It really looks like no matter what time of year, there's a fun vacation to be had in Branson for the whole family. To start planning your family getaway, give Branson Missouri Cabins a call, and don't forget to travel happy!
Skeeter
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Hey there happy travelers! It's that time of year again, and I don't just mean "how many sugar cookies can I eat before I feel sick" time of year. It's the time of year to reflect and to look forward. A few years ago I decided I was done with the same old "I'm going to floss more, lose weight, eat less candy" type of New Year's resolutions. Those are not fun, and to be honest are unlikely to stick long term. So, that year I decided my resolutions were going to be to 1. Drink more champagne 2. Go on more adventures. Those were both things that I felt I could make some serious sacrifices to make happen and that at the end of the year, I'd look back and realize I had a pretty great year...and I did. So, I've never looked back. Last year I wanted to spread the joy, so I shared 15 ideas for you to make 2015 the best year ever. How'd it go for you? Are you a new reader and didn't get a chance to kick 2015 in the face with your awesomeness? Well, fear not, because I've 16 more ideas to make 2016 even better! 16 Resolutions for the best 20161. Buy experiences not things This isn't new or revolutionary advice, but it's still good. The memories you'll create will long outlive that new sweater or gizmo that you don't need. Go hot air ballooning, take a surf lesson, a cooking class, samba lessons, sky diving, really you're only limited by your imagination here. Live more buy less 2. Give more Give more and I'm not only talking about gifts here. Give more of your time, your passion, give more compliments, hugs, smiles. Just give more. Give more because you're going to make someone's day and it feels damn good. I used to not compliment strangers, because I'm kind of reserved around people I don't know. But I've started complimenting strangers every now and then, and it feels really nice, and I hope it's a small bright spot in their day. So, the next time you notice someone and they've got a cute bag or you love their haircut, just say so. You'll both feel nice. 3. Relax I know I'm not the only one with a crazy hectic life. I've been working so much lately, that some days, all I want to do when I get home is face plant into my bed and not move. It was when I was having these reoccurring thoughts that I realized that I need to find time to relax more. So, I started doing Yoga as a way to do just that. Now I feel more relaxed on the days I do yoga and I'm actually already a bit more flexible, which is a win win. I really like Yoga with Adriene. She's funny and has a really approachable teaching style for newbies to yoga like me. She has lots of short videos, so if you only have 15 minutes to spare, you can get in a little relax session in. If yoga isn't for you, just find 15 minutes a day, just for you to unwind, you deserve it. The dishes can wait. 4. Learn something new My brain feels sharper when I'm stretching it to learn something new. Doing the same things day in and day out isn't good for our brains. Pick something you've always wanted to learn and learn it. It could be a new language, and new recipe, astrophysics, the guitar. It doesn't matter, pick something, learn it and marvel in your new found knowledge. 5. Have your cake and eat it too A common New Year's resolution is to eat better. It's a good goal and one I'm always working on. This year though, I want you to know that it's ok to celebrate now and then. You're not a bad person if you want to have a glass of champagne for no reason, or indulge in a piece of cheesecake after a long hard week. It's not an indulgence if you do it all the time, so don't use this as an excuse to not take care of yourself. And a rule I've made for myself is, If I decide to indulge in a dessert and I take a bite and don't LOVE it, then I don't finish it. I'm prone to feeling guilty for eating things I shouldn't, and to avoid that, I only eat things I'm truly enjoying. That keeps me from eating unnecessary calories and I don't feel guilty because it's a little indulgence that made me happy. 6. Schedule more fun in your life Pat and I started a Sunday Funday tradition. It was in partial response the fact that we'd work all week and then work on the house all weekend and we wanted to have more fun. So, start scheduling in fun. Even if it's just renting a movie, going for a walk, or baking cookies. Schedule it in. That way you'll have the time and you'll have something to look forward to. 7. Make more time for old family and friends If you haven't seen this video, only watch it if you're somewhere where you can ball your eyes out. Ok, I'm sorry, but that was necessary to make my point. There are people out there that you love and haven't called in a while. Make time for them. There is nothing more important in this world than the people we love. Make sure they know that. This is something I need to be better at, and I'm sure we all could. 8. De-clutter your life Get rid of whatever isn't adding joy to your life. If you don't need it, get rid of it. Got a pile of junk in your house? Toss it (or donate it if someone might be able to use it). Have toxic people making your life miserable? End those relationships. Only keep what you need or what makes you happy. 9. MORE MORE MORE So, I just told you to de-clutter, but I want you to add more to your life. More laughter, more dancing, more smiles, more appreciation for beauty. MORE MORE MORE! If there's something you want more of in your life, make that a priority this year. More reading your favorite novels, more signing, painting, movies.MORE! 10. Forget how old you are I'm not old, but I have said " I think I'm too old to pull that off" multiple times in the last couple of years. If you're not breaking the law and you're keeping yourself safe, forget about how old you are and just go out and do what you want. Pat and I always say that we hope we both die at the same time when we're 90 in a skydiving accident. It's a little morbid typing it out, but when we say that it's like saying "we always want to be together, and we always want to keep having adventures no matter how old we are." which sounds a lot less morbid. So, rock that leather jacket, and don't stop yourself from trying something just because you're not as young as you once were, none of us are. 11. Broaden your cultural horizons This world is a diverse and beautiful place. Learn more about it, learn more about your neighbors, discover traditions that are different than your own. There's so many ways you can do this. Attend a cultural festival, attend a church of a different religion than your own, read books by authors from different cultures, try a different type of cuisine. There's so many ways to learn about this beautiful world of ours! 12. Put yourself first every once in a while Whether it's our jobs, kids, family, friends, etc., we often end up putting ourselves last a lot. Put yourself first more often. Say no to things you don't want to do. It's ok, really. You can't take care of others, if you never take care of you. 13. Spruce up the space around you If you're not feeling the joy, sometimes it can be due to our surroundings. Put up some pretty art, paint your walls a bright color, dress in brighter colors. Sometimes even a bright nail polish or lipstick can perk up your mood. This is particularly true in the winter. Inject more color in your life this year and watch everything else brighten up too! 14. Learn a good party trick Everyone should have a good one in their repertoire. The other day I thought it would be fun to try and learn how to do a Chewbacca impression. Mostly I've been walking around the house sounding like a dying cat and scaring the dogs. I'm sure you'll have more luck than I have, and this will also inspire you to go to more parties. Win-win 15. Get into a savings routine It is so often the case that we only start saving money when we have something in mind that we want to spend it on: vacations, a new dirt bike for Pat, and lasik are on the top of my list right now. What we really should be doing is saving money every single day. That way when we have an emergency, like Pat needing knee surgery this month, or you have something exciting coming up, (a trip to Australia) you'll have some money in the bank to make that dream a reality sooner. If you need a few ideas check out our post on 10 Money Saving Travel Tips, and How to Save Even More Money on Travel. One thing I do that makes me feel really good about saving is, every time I resist buying something I can afford, but don't need, I put that amount of money into savings. If I could afford to spend it on something I didn't need, then I can afford to stick it into savings and spend it on something awesome like surf lessons, or plane tickets to Iceland. 16. Be Awesome This one might sound easy. You're saying to yourself "Boom, I am awesome, consider this one done." While I have no doubt that you are indeed awesome, I mean, you read my blog and in my book that makes you super awesome. I want to encourage you though to be your full awesome self everyday, whatever that looks like to you. Never apologize for being your own brand of awesome either. So, if your brand of awesome is laying in the sun and reading books while getting day drunk, dressing up for Comic-Con, hitchhiking through Patagonia, or cooking your way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking, do more of it. Be more awesome everyday. Don't have 2016 be another year where you put off your awesome because of this or that. Make this the year that kicks off a lifetime of awesome adventures.
No matter how you decide to tackle 2016, don't forget to travel happy! Oh! And let us know what you're 2016 resolutions are going to be in the comments below! XO, Skeeter I wanted to write a post about an amazing place I visited this last Summer and about change, and the change one individual is capable of. This is a follow-up post continuing on my trip to Brazil that my boyfriend and I did back in August. After we left the Pantanal we made our way to the city of Bonito, where we snorkeled in the Rio da Prata and visited Buraco das Araras (Hole of the Macaws) where we were able to see these beautiful birds up-close. Buraco das Araras is not only a beautiful place to visit, but it has a beautiful story. In 1986, Modesto Sampaio purchased almost 250 acres of land near the city of Bonito in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Upon closing his deal, Modesto discovered there was a huge sinkhole (the second largest in the world) in his land. Sadly, the sinkhole was a dump full of trash, abandoned vehicles that had been pushed over the cliff, and even… human bodies! The only birds here were vultures. Mr. Sampaio had heard stories of how beautiful this place once was and the echoing sounds of the macaws that had made it their home. He knew he couldn’t leave any part of his land in such a condition. Especially since with each year more and more tourists began to visit the region. People thought he was crazy to take on such a futile task. The hole is massive, there was too much trash, it would take years! But Mr. Sampaio committed to it, and by 1997, with some loyal helpers, they managed to restore it to its natural beauty after several full truckloads of garbage. But something was missing. The only birds flying around were the vultures still leftover from their former dump of a home. So Mr. Sampaio introduced a pair of captive Red-and-Green Macaws. The macaws disappeared after a few days…. but then, they came back and brought friends with them! In 2000, the macaws were able to kick out the vultures for good and made this massive sinkhole their own paradise. About 100 macaws call this place their home now. It’s a site like I’ve never seen, or heard! There are also toucans, and we were told there was an anaconda at the bottom. Modesto registered this part of his property as a Natural Heritage Private Reserve. Tourists can check out the visitors center and take a walk on the trail around the sinkhole with two awesome lookout points. For as big as the sinkhole is, it's not that long of a walk around it. I'm sure we took twice as long as most visitors because we couldn't stop taking pictures. There were also other little critters and small mammals we encountered on the trail. It was interesting to learn that macaws mate for life, and we got to see a few male macaws come to the nests and feed the females who couldn't leave because of the babies.
At the end of the tour we hung around the visitor center where they also had a lounging area of several hammocks outside. Kyle and I laid down and relaxed for a while. A few minutes later, an older man walked up to us with an instrument I had never seen. Well, it wasn't as much of an instrument as it was an animal horn of some sort. The man asked if I had ever heard the sound and we said we hadn't. So he played it for us. He was a really sweet man, really happy too. After a bit I realized who he was. I asked him if he was Modesto Sampaio and he confirmed he was. I complimented him for what he did with the land and his mission of conservation. He told me how all he had heard 30 years ago was that he was crazy and only a handful of people shared his vision. "But look at it now," he said. He told me how he loves meeting people from around the world every day and how he really hopes that he can inspire others to make a change in the world, and that it can start with one person and one simple idea. It doesn't have to be a sinkhole! He said it was also important to him that he was a good role model to his children. I'd say he achieved that status. I wanted to write this post to not only share pictures and the story of my trip, but to also tell Modesto’s story and acknowledge the people out there who are fighting the good fight and inspiring others. It's something we're all capable of. Have a great day wherever you are, fellow travelers! - Liz |
Skeeter
Hi there! I'm Skeeter. I grew up moving a lot and that makes me a bit restless for travel and exploration. I started this blog with my husband Pat when we decided to backpack New Zealand for a year. We are always looking for the next adventure and are loving life. We're just your average couple with two sassy dogs and a love for travel. We're sharing our travels and the tips we pick up along the way. LIZHello! I'm Liz. Blogging is very new to me, but I'm so excited to finally write as much as I talk! Archives
December 2016
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